Kawasaki KZ650 short throttle/clutch cables.

Sure, once handlebar is replaced with clipo-ns there might be an issue of too long original throttle and clutch cables. I have some kind of mania about tidiness of cables and wires routing and once it became clear that Kawasaki KZ650 original cables are too long to route them properly I began to search for shorter cables.

If you run “KZ650 shorter throttle cable” or “Kawasaki KZ shorter throttle cables” request through Google, you’ll have some results, but they wouldn’t be satisfying and completely definite. However, I found solution of this question, it was only a matter of where to look for it. It was not in Internet but… on the wall of my workshop, where I keep hanging whole assortment of different cables that remained from previous projects or occasionally got in my garage.

Turned out that solution is simple: Honda pull throttle cables for modern motorcycles have the same thread for mounting in handlebar switch as both pull and push Kawasaki KZ throttle cables have. After this all I had to do is rummage through Wemoto web shop cables section and find cables that should perfectly fit my KZ650 with clip-ons. I bought two pull throttle cables for Honda CB500 1993-1995:

Their dimensions are:

Outer cable: 81cm;

Inner cable: 91cm;

While original KZ650 has push cable of dimensions:

Outer cable: 93cm;

Inner cable: 102.5cm;

And pull cable:

Outer cable: 94cm;

Inner cable: 104.5cm;

As you may see, this solution gives cables compatible with KZ650 but for 12-13cm shorter than original. Here are some additional photos:

As for the clutch cable, I just bought clutch cable for Kawasaki Z400 J1 that has exactly the same design as original Kz650 clutch cable but is 7cm shorter.